Lyme, NH – Christine Brown, known as “Grinny”, passed away peacefully at her home in Lyme, NH in the early hours of November 19, 2025, a moonless, cloudless and starry night, after a sudden onset of acute leukemia. She was surrounded by her family. She is survived by her daughter Jennifer Brown of Strafford, VT; two granddaughters, Robin Spencer of Lyme, NH and Katie Spencer of Chelsea, VT; and her son Matthew Brown of Lyme, NH; and two grandsons, Nathaniel Brown of Dover, NH and Asher Brown of Salt Lake City, UT. Their spouses and partners all loved their “Grinny”: Jennifer’s husband Blake Spencer, Matthew’s partner Christine Frandino, Robin’s partner Matthew Cretzmeyer, Katie’s fiancee Izzy Miller, Nathaniel’s fiancee Summer Johnson, Asher’s partner Pippa Blau. Christine is survived by an older brother John Hodgdon of Washington, DC, his wife Goldia and their son, Paul Hodgdon and his wife, Teresa Park and their sons Nicholas and Alexander.
Christine was born in Bournemouth, near Poole, England, in 1932. As a child, she lived in Chicago, several locations in England, and in Washington, DC. She graduated in 1954 from Radcliffe College and moved with her husband Roger Brown, to Lyme, NH in 1960. After 1965, she and her family spent the school year in Washington, D.C. and summered in their house in Lyme. Christine’s vocation was as an art teacher, teaching art in schools in the D.C. area. When summertime came, she taught art classes in her barn in Lyme, an “Art Barn” for kids, that some may still remember. She made woodblock prints which she exhibited in galleries in DC and in the Upper Valley. During the 1960’s, she turned to work on progressive political causes, an interest she remained engaged with for the rest of her life. She said her most rewarding and important work was dedicated to the cause of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, working for the organization Physicians for Social Responsibility.
In 1982, she again became a full-time resident of Lyme where she enjoyed digging in her frog pond, gardening, making art, playing the piano, caring for her mother and then for grandchildren. In the wintertime, she heated her 1817 house with wood; she felt this pursuit contributed to her well-being and she did it through this past winter.
A family memorial gathering is planned for early next summer.
The Boardway and Cilley Funeral Home, Chelsea, VT is in charge of arrangements. A private message of sympathy for the family can be shared at www.boardwayandcilley.com.
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